East Texas family in Washington DC to witness President Trump sign Kari’s Law

WASHINGTON D.C. (KLTV) – Four years after witnessing her mother’s murder, an East Texas girl will now get a chance to see the results of her grandfather’s determination to honor her mom’s memory.

President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to sign Kari’s Law on Friday at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Kari Hunt’s father, Hank Hunt, and her daughter traveled by invitation to Washington, D.C., where on Friday they will witness President Trump sign H.R. 582 into law.

On Feb. 9, the law received final approval in the U.S. House after already clearing the Senate. The vote fell on what would have been Kari Hunt’s 36th birthday.

Hank Hunt said they will spend the morning touring the nation’s capital with Texas District 1 Rep. Louie Gohmert, before attending the signing at the White House in the afternoon.

Hunt said at first he didn’t believe it was the White House calling and had to be convinced.

“When I saw it on the news that it was headed to the White House that’s when it sunk in that it’s kind of, a little bit of emotion … a little bit … but it’s been a long time coming. Been a long four years,” Hank Hunt said in a previous interview with KLTV.

Gohmert released a statement on the long fight to see the law in action across the nation.

“Today is bittersweet for so many reasons. The Hunt family, brought in to Washington, D.C. by the White House, will witness the signing of legislation bearing their loved one’s namesake into law. Although this law will not reverse the heartbreaking loss of Kari Rene Hunt and all the horrors of that day, her legacy will now live on and safeguard others from experiencing a situation of this magnitude.”

Referred to as Kari’s Law, the legislation is named for Kari Hunt, who was killed by her estranged husband in a Marshall hotel room in December 2013. Kari’s daughter, then 9 years old, witnessed the attack and tried calling 9-1-1 multiple times, but the call failed. The hotel’s phone system required an extra digit to be dialed first to reach an outside line.

Kari’s Law mandates that all businesses must have their phone lines in compliance within two years of the bill becoming law. The Federal Communication Commission is charged with enforcing it.